Brandon Figueroa stops Yonfrez Parejo for WBA title

By Miguel Maravilla at ringside

Brandon Figueroa (19-0, 14 KOs) scored an eight round stoppage over Venezuela’s Yonfrez Parejo (22-4-1, 11 KOs) to claim the WBA interim super bantamweight title on Saturday night at the Dignity Health Sports Park (formerly the StubHub Center) in Carson, California.Photo: Frank Micelotta/Fox Sports/PictureGroup
Right from the start Figueroa and Parejo stayed busy. Staying close on the inside in the second, Figueroa connected on Parejo with uppercuts but Parejo held his own. Shooting the straight left down the pipe in round three, Figueroa backed up Parejo and then switched to a conventional stance backing the Venezuelan with a one-two. Continuing to stay close in the fourth, Figueroa outworked the tough Parejo connecting with short punches.

Late in the fifth round, Figueroa hurt Parejo against the ropes. The Texan chased and stayed busy in the sixth as Parejo was fighting off his back foot staying away from Figueroa. Halfway through round seven, Figueroa was in control as Paredes seemed as he was fighting to go the distance. There was no stopping Figueroa as he just continued to work and stayed on top of Parejo in the eighth. At the break, Parejo had had enough and referee Jerry Cantu waved it off at the end of eight.

Brandon is the younger brother of former world champion Omar Figueroa.